Five hurt as deck collapses during family party at Elbridge house

Elbridge, NY - Five people were taken to area hospitals following the collapse of a deck behind a home on Route 5 just west of the village of Elbridge tonight.

Firefighters from several departments were called about 8:10 p.m. to 586 Route 5 when the deck collapsed at a family party, Trooper James Bush said.

More than 20 people were on the deck when it gave way, Bush said. The people were thrown onto each other when the east side of the deck, which runs along the back of the one-and-a-half story house, gave way, Bush said.

"It was too much for the structure and it collapsed," he said.

The deck was about 10 feet above the ground at the back of the house.

Four people were taken to Auburn Memorial Hospital by ambulance and one was taken to Crouse Hospital in Syracuse, Bush said. All the injuries were minor, he said, and several other people refused treatment of minor injuries.

Firefighters lit up the area with portable lights and carried injured people in stretchers to ambulances parked on Route 5.

Fire departments from Elbridge, Mottville and Jordan went to the scene. Ambulances from Jordan and SAVES took the injured to the hospitals.